After The Cure: Maze Runner One-Shots
by sakurasquared
Summary: A series of short snippets set after my last fanfic. Teresa and Thomas still have that book mind-thingy going on because it's a fun plot device. This is all mostly fluff because I just feel like they deserve it, but let me know if anything's too far-fetched!
1. One-Shot One

**AN: Hey guys, welcome! :3 This one's just a fun little picture of what the Gladers might like to do in their free time at the Safe Haven. I put Gally back in there because I liked him in the movies and wanted him to have a little redemption. Also Teresa has a mental turning point at the end. Reviews please, especially if anybody seems out of character! **

It's night in the Safe Haven, and Thomas is in Minho and Frypan's tent with five others – all of them laughing their heads off as Teresa somewhat graphically narrates Minho's tragic death by spontaneous combustion.

The game is Mafia, and they've been playing it several times for at least an hour already, but it's been so fun that no one wants to stop. Wiping his eyes, Thomas looks over at Gally sitting across the circle and feels a mixture of emotions when he sees a small grin on the big guy's face. Thomas is not sure how he feels about Gally being in the Safe Haven, accepted back into the group like he's one of the Gladers again – but then, he did rescue Teresa from the Last City. That's something Thomas thinks, ironically, that might actually make him like Gally a little more.

Because ever since Gally brought Teresa back, things between her and Thomas have been changing. There's something different between them. He peeks at her with one eye while he and the rest of the townspeople are supposed to be asleep – he's the Doctor, so it'll be his turn soon anyway – and sees the red scars of still-healing blisters on her face catching the lantern light every time she moves her head. It's been a couple weeks since she was let out of the medical tent to join the rest of the Haven, but the results of her fall into the burning wreckage of WCKD tower are still apparent on her skin.

She notices him peeking and stops her narration to say loudly, "No peeking, children... _Thomas._ That includes you!"

_You little cheater_, she says in his mind.

He teases her back. _But you're just so entertaining. _There's an unfamiliar warmness in his heart.

That warmness hasn't left since Teresa woke up.

He had plenty of time before then to worry about if she was even going to make it. It had been a close call. Concussion, third-degree burns all over her body, three broken ribs, and a lot of bruising. During that time sitting against the wall across from her bed, hearing the med-jacks' tense conversations whenever they didn't think he could hear, Thomas realized something.

He really couldn't imagine his life without her.

"Doctor, wake up." Teresa whispers, and he raises his head to find her tilting her head at him with her blue eyes flashing in the dim light. "Who would you like to save?"

Thomas offers her a cunning grin and pretends to look furtively around the circle, resting his gaze on Frypan's fake-snoring figure. _That one_, he thinks at Teresa so the others won't hear. _That big snoring lump over there, _he_ looks dead. _

Teresa tries to cover a laugh. He_ might be the only one here who's actually asleep, _she thinks back at Thomas, quirking a smile, and then tells him to go back to sleep.

It's the sheriff's turn and then another day begins, in which it turns out Frypan actually _was_ asleep and Brenda got murdered by a large seagull that fell out of the sky mid-flight and accidentally impaled her with its sharp bill. Minho pats the ground next to him from where he's sitting cross-legged just outside the circle.

"Join the dead people," he calls to Brenda, and scoots over, not even blinking when Brenda sits down cross-legged, too, and less than an inch away from him. Thomas doesn't think he's the only one who's been noticing how close the two have gotten lately, and he's right, because just then Frypan starts whistling an old love song and Minho has to throw a blanket to get him to shut up.

They go for one more turn but then stop because Frypan, who was the mafia, is asleep again. Deciding not to wake him, since it's already past midnight and Minho wants to go to bed anyway, everyone else climbs out of the tent into the pale moonlight and stars. It's a beautiful night and the sound of waves lapping the seashore not far away adds a gentle rhythm to the otherwise quiet camp. Thomas, Teresa, and Brenda walk up the row on the way back to their own tents. Brenda tilts her head at Thomas, and then disappears among the alleyways between the tents, leaving him and Teresa alone. She looks at Thomas.

"What was that about?"

He glances up at her, then shakes his head.

"I don't know. She's been getting harder and harder to read ever since we got here." Hesitating, he admits, "I think it might have something to do with you."

Teresa doesn't look surprised. She lowers her head, speaking carefully.

"Whatever it is, I hope I didn't cause any trouble between you two." He can hear regret in her voice. "I thought I was _right_, Tom – haven't you ever felt that before? You understand, you were with us… Them…" She trails off, then stops walking and turns to face him. "I just… I just don't know what to think anymore." The wind tousles her long black hair.

Thomas watches her, feeling an inexplicable surge of empathy. _She needs to go through this_, he realizes. _She needs to realize what WCKD was doing, how wrong it was…_ But he knows. He felt it himself the months, even years, before he was inserted into the Maze.

_WCKD is good_, he thinks bitterly, then stiffens as Teresa appears to notice his thoughts. She raises her head and he can see that she's crying.

Without warning, she hugs him, wrapping her long arms around his shoulders and pulling him close. Surprised, Thomas hugs her back.

_It's okay Teresa…it's okay…_

Without speaking, he tries to calm her, whispering reassuring thoughts to her mind. They stay like that for a long time.


	2. One-Shot Two

**Author's Note: Hey guys! :) Yes, I did that - I married off Thomas and Teresa. Please don't judge me, Teresa-haters. She's my favorite character and I was really sad when she died in _The Death Cure,_ so I wanted to give her and Tom a happy ending. Also, I sorta kinda married off Minho and Brenda... hope no one hates me for that either. Reviews please! :3**

It is four months after Thomas woke up in the Safe Haven.

Four months after the other Gladers rescued Teresa from the remains of the Last City.

Four months since Thomas decided to forgive her.

It wasn't an easy choice. He spent many nights tossing and turning over it, wondering. But a lot can happen in four months.

Old wounds can begin to heal, physically and emotionally. The survivors of WCKD's experiments can finally begin to start their new lives.

Which for Thomas means something he never thought he'd even consider.

The decision didn't come out of nowhere. Two months earlier, Minho and Brenda got married.

Thomas has to admit he felt a little jealous about it, but he also has to admit what he's been thinking ever since Minho and Brenda first met: his sarcastic and prickly friend has a much better shot with a spitfire like Brenda than Thomas ever could.

The leaders of the Safe Haven allotted Minho and Brenda their own tent and now they live there among the other shelters full of people who are barely more than children, just as lost and confused as everyone who first shows up at the Safe Haven. But the strange thing is, Minho and Brenda are _happy_. For just a little while at least, they've seemed to be able to forget what came before.

And that's exactly what Thomas needs too.

He stands in that tent now, trying not to laugh as his friends fuss about his tux. Well, not a tux really, more like a black coat that, unlike most of the other clothes to be found around here, has managed to survive being ripped up and soiled by the harsh terrain. But since it's the closest thing they have to anything someone would want to get married in, he's standing in it being accosted by Brenda, who's been telling him for the past half hour that his bow tie's crooked. Who knew where they managed to find a bow tie out here? Minho's lent him his own best pants too, which for Safe Haven standards are jeans on which only one of the knees is torn. Thomas would have been fine in the t-shirt and slacks he was wearing the day he woke up in one of the medical huts, but Frypan, who has apparently become an expert on women since he arrived (Thomas has yet to see Frypan outside his tent without being surrounded by at least three girls) insisted that you don't wear that sort of thing to a wedding. Even a wedding out in the middle of nowhere.

"_Thomas, _just HOLD STILL FOR GOD'S SAKE." Brenda practically strangles him trying to fix the bow tie. On his way to secure Thomas' shoelaces (which are attached to old-fashioned Oxfords someone donated from three tents away), Minho slips up behind her and gives her a peck on the cheek. Brenda swats him away but Thomas knows she liked it.

"Get _out _of here M, I told you to go check and see if they're ready!"

Minho smirks and says, "How can I leave when my lady's flirting with the competition?" but slips out anyway after putting a leaf in Brenda's hair when her back is turned. Thomas notices and knows Minho will have a mouthful of violently affectionate insults and probably an equally violently affectionate hug coming for him when Brenda finds the leaf, but he decides to keep his mouth shut.

"There." Brenda finishes with his tie and looks him up and down. "Now you're ready." Her dark eyes are sparkling and Thomas knows she must be thinking back to her own wedding. Things happen fast in the Safe Haven. "Nervous?" she asks. And then she hugs him around the middle and Thomas has to hug her back with his head to the side so that he doesn't knock the leaf out.

Minho chooses that moment to poke his head back in and announce, "The shuckiest shuck-faced bride is ready for her shuckiest shuck-faced-"

"Shut up!" Brenda smacks his hair lightly and then opens one of the tent flaps for Thomas. "Out you go, _Shuck-face_."

Thomas emerges into the sunlight to see a crowd of people gathered on the shoreline at the edge of the beach. And in the middle…

Thomas stares. Whatever they've been able to do with the limited supplies they have in camp is impressive considering most of it's salvaged. Teresa's dark hair has been pulled back in some kind of complicated braid, and a necklace with a soda-can tab pendant glints around her neck. She's dressed in a light gray gown someone's obviously made from an oversized trench coat, and she's barefoot in the sand. But she looks beautiful, and Thomas doesn't think he's ever seen her look better.

As if she senses him watching, Teresa turns her head.

_Don't be a creep,_ she jokes in his mind, then somehow projects a picture of her hitting him with a shoe.

Thomas laughs. _Speak for yourself. _Even from here he can sense how excited she is.

The ceremony begins. Vince officiates even though everyone knows he's not ordained. It doesn't matter. Everyone's just glad to be together for this special kind of Gathering. They have a regular one every week, but it's always different for things like this. Plus, Thomas thinks, the object of their weekly Gatherings isn't usually two people making out in front of a crowd.

Teresa speaks in his mind again. _Hm, _that'_s inappropriate. Really not helping your creep vibe here. _He's standing in front of her now, her hands in his while Vince goes through the same speech he made for Minho and Brenda's wedding. _You'd better not miss_, Teresa thinks at him, referring to the kiss. Neither of them had had much practice before coming to the Safe Haven. Thomas purposefully sends Teresa back an image that makes her cheeks turn red, and he enjoys the look of pretend hatred she shoots back.

"Thomas." Vince gets his attention. "Are you ready?"

Thomas looks at Teresa again and sees his own anticipation reflected in her eyes. He turns to Vince.

"Yeah, I am."

It's the best kiss they've managed yet. The whoops and hollers of the assembled kids ring around them as Thomas releases Teresa and holds her close, looking into her face.

_Didn't miss, _he says in her head.

Her cheeks are flushed with joy. _Well, are you going to kiss me again then? _

He does, and he doesn't think he's ever been happier before in his life.


	3. One-Shot Three

**Author's Note: This idea came to me after reading Thomas, Teresa, and Chuck's cute interactions in ****_The Fever Code. _****I didn't really want to have to deal with angst about Chuck dying because I'm not really good at writing that sort of thing, so that's why it's not really mentioned in here. Reviews welcome!**

It's Thomas' idea at first, but Teresa agrees immediately. Growing up at WCKD, they had both felt almost responsible for their little friend Chuck. At times they even considered him like a brother. Thomas remembers several instances where he actually wanted to run away with Teresa and Chuck after the rest of their friends had been inserted into the maze.

Thomas, Teresa, Chuck. They had been one strange little family in the middle of a strange situation.

Chuck the second looks nothing like Chuck the first, but to be fair, Chuck the first was a seven-year-old kid and Chuck the second is a newborn baby.

"Maybe he'll grow into it," Thomas says, looking over Teresa's shoulder.

Minho pokes his head in. "How's my first nephew?" he jokes.

Thomas laughs. "Uncle Minho. Sounds about as great as me being your kid's godfather. I still don't know why Brenda insisted on that."

"Her idea." Minho ducks his head to peer at the baby in Teresa's arms. They've wrapped him up like a little burrito in a blanket someone knitted. Their friend asks the baby's name and grunts in approval when Teresa tells him.

"Good, that. Kid always had something special with you guys." He puts his face on level with the sleeping baby's and tickles Chuck the second's tiny nose. "Hey there you little shuck. Shuck Chuck. I like that."

Chuck's nose twitches and he opens his pink, toothless mouth to give a squawk of protest. Minho holds up his hands. "Whoa, chill little man!" He looks at Thomas, says, "Nice to see he's inherited his dad's big mouth," and then ducks as Thomas swings a fake punch at him.

Teresa eyes them, amused. "Take it outside if you wanna play rough."

Thomas instantly sobers in mock seriousness. "Yeah Uncle Minho, take it outside." Immediately it's Minho's chance to swat at him. They're all laughing now, except for Chuck, who opens his toothless mouth again to start crying and sounds almost exactly like an angry kitten. Minho leaves, claiming he has to get back to help Brenda with their daughter Ginny, but Thomas thinks it's because he still doesn't quite know how to handle kids. Ginny has practically been an angel ever since she was born a couple years ago.

Teresa's rocking Chuck the second now, trying to sing to him over his cries. Thomas goes over to help and is bemused when Chuck suddenly stops crying and opens his eyes to stare at his father with wide blue eyes. Thomas smiles, surprised, and takes the little bundle as Teresa hands it to him.

"Somebody knows who his dad is," she says, and then looks pensive. "Our Chuck was always like that with you too." She yawns and rests her head against Thomas' shoulder.

Thomas bounces Chuck the second and watches his eyelids droop.

"I wonder if this one will turn out anything like the first?"

Chuck goes to sleep, and Thomas looks over at Teresa.

"You're welcome."

But she's gone to sleep too, exhausted now. Thomas sits for a moment with one arm around his wife's shoulders and the other holding his son. He can't ever remember thinking this would be a reality for him. But now that it is, he feels a new surge of protectiveness. Knows he'll do anything to keep Teresa and Chuck safe, like when they lived together at WCKD.

But this time they'll make a better life, here where WCKD can't hurt them.

Thomas closes his eyes, leans on Teresa, holds Chuck close, and lets himself drift off.


End file.
